Gerrard's Improvement this year

colB1969

Well-Known Member
Although I always believed that Gerrard had improved us greatly in 2 years, I always had my doubts that he could end the Selic dominance in the league this year for 1 main reason.

His Substitutions to improve Game Management

Sitting at home games week in week out even last year we could all see our 1-0 lead was precarious yet he refused to make a sub. Then inevitably we lost a goal and he rolls out a sub in the 78th minute to try and save the day. Those around me in the Govan Rear would sarcastically clap and say "Well done Stevie"

BUT what a difference this year, from bringing on a defender to hold onto a 1-0 lead (Kilmarnock) to bringing on defensive midfielders to defend in the middle or to bring on Itten to hold the ball up eating up valuable seconds. It has probably added a number of points we would have tossed away last year.

We sometimes forget he is a Rookie manager and still has a lot to learn but from his team building to his system of play and now subs he could be on his way to Management super stardom.
 
Last edited:
Looking at his entire term at the club (not just the past year), there are five areas that stand-out for me:
  1. There has been a huge improvement in the quality of the first team's play, coming from when he first started, to the performances now.
  2. The calibre of player in the first team and in the squad has been vastly improved. (On that note, Gerrard, his backroom team, and the recruitment team he works with to aquire the right kind of players into the club have all done a terrific job so far, and have aquired talented players at the right prices.)
  3. The mindset and culture, which is set by Gerrard himself, plus his backroom team, is totally improved in my opinion. It is humble, and based around innate self-belief (and not unjustified boastfulness), plus hard-work.
  4. The quality of the day-to-day coaching is massively improved on what has come before.
  5. The all-round professionalism on the playing side is massively improved.

Needless to say, as a fan, this is so pleasing, especially given the number of difficult years the club has had to navigate through.

Long may it continue.
 
Last edited:
Covid might have saved the gaffers managerial career with us, we lost to hearts in the cup, Hamilton at Ibrox, we looked lost, the turnaround and hard work the management team must have put in during the enforced break was unreal and we're now benefiting from that.
 
He’s matured as a manager.

It’s early in this career, he’s still learning, but him and his team have assembled and coached a solid outfit.
 
Although I always believed that Gerrard had improved us greatly in 2 years, I always had my doubts that he could end the Selic dominance in the league this year for 1 main reason.

His Substitutions to improve Game Management

Sitting at home games week in week out even last year we could all see our 1-0 lead was precarious yet he refused to make a sub. Then inevitably we lost a goal and he rolls out a sub in the 78th minute to try and save the day. Those around me in the Govan Rear would sarcastically clap and say "Well done Stevie"

BUT what a difference this year, from bringing on a defender to hold onto a 1-0 lead (Kilmarnock) to bringing on defensive midfielders to defend in the middle or to bring on Itten to hold the ball up eating up valuable seconds. It has probably added a number of points we would have tossed away last year.

We sometimes forget he is a Rookie manager and still has a lot to learn but from his team building to his system of play and now subs he could be on his way to Management super stardom.
He has done a brilliant job so far and the club sticking by him and giving him time to build something, under some severe pressure from fans, looks like it will pay off.

The most impressive thing about him is he is learning from previous mistakes. That is ultimately what separates top players / managers / staff. I firmly believe he will go on to manage and bigger leagues than ours and do very well in them.

He must deliver the title however. (I'm counting on nothing until it is actually done and dusted).
 
Man management is hugely better. Personal errors have been almost eradicated. Players all look more comfortable, composed and that has to be down to the atmosphere around the squad.

Last year we looked more nervous all round.
 
I love SG but honestly this time last year wondered if he was nearing the end. There was a press conference after Hearts (I think) and it seemed that he was nearly ready to jump. He's obviously gone away with his coaching team and worked hard during the break to rectify the problems. Added to that we've had a really good transfer window, strengthening and keeping our key players. At this stage I couldn't be more delighted, year on year progress, evidence of learning, staunch work ethic. SG is this generation's Souness.
 
What's clear from almost all answers is one theme: he takes on board criticism and errors, and works harder to overcome them. He learns fast.
 
The improvement in him as a manager over the last six months is exceptional, even though he was pretty good to start with.
 
Gerrard's improved year on year and will likely do again next seson.

That's why he's been worth the wait and nobody (apart from the odd throbber) has suggested his time was up.

There is no question he has got the Rangers bug.

I want Klopp to retire at Liverpool when he's 85.
 
We'd have lost him if we didn't do what we are doing this season. Scary to think about. Where would we go if we had sacked Gerrard prematurely?
 
The improvements he's made this season are massive.

Look at our team on the park. More organised, disciplined, well balanced and a proper unit. The defence, ability to move the ball with authority and our ruthlessness/killing off the opposition are major players this season.

He's clearly used the time away from football to identify every area - prior to that he looked broken and almost out (Hamilton defeat/Tynecastle in the Scottish Cup).

He's more relaxed, more mature and experienced. He's clearly learned from his mistakes in the way he talks about his players, the way he celebrates victories, his decision making is better, quicker, he's more tactically aware and astute. His use of substitutions is a lot more effective.

I feel he's nowhere near as stubborn as he was in the previous two seasons and our play is less complicated. I felt our management team tried to over complicate things at times and there was a breakdown.

Our players; fitter, stronger and fully understand their roles. He's picked them up (see above matches) and installed a winning mentality, a never say die attitude and the ability to bounce back.

I think the turn around from last January/February/March has been one of the most impressive turn around we've seen in football in a long time. Let's he honest, the players and Gerrard collapsed last season and that could easily have been an issue this season.

Massive credit goes to Steven Gerrard for what he's achieved this season - domestically as on the European stage he's done a phenomenal job since day one.

Long may that continue.
 
Although I always believed that Gerrard had improved us greatly in 2 years, I always had my doubts that he could end the Selic dominance in the league this year for 1 main reason.

His Substitutions to improve Game Management

Sitting at home games week in week out even last year we could all see our 1-0 lead was precarious yet he refused to make a sub. Then inevitably we lost a goal and he rolls out a sub in the 78th minute to try and save the day. Those around me in the Govan Rear would sarcastically clap and say "Well done Stevie"

BUT what a difference this year, from bringing on a defender to hold onto a 1-0 lead (Kilmarnock) to bringing on defensive midfielders to defend in the middle or to bring on Itten to hold the ball up eating up valuable seconds. It has probably added a number of points we would have tossed away last year.

We sometimes forget he is a Rookie manager and still has a lot to learn but from his team building to his system of play and now subs he could be on his way to Management super stardom.

I think the improvement on that aspect this year is partly down to having better players that he can trust. The standard of our bench this year compared to previous years is night and day.
 
I think the turn around from last January/February/March has been one of the most impressive turn around we've seen in football in a long time. Let's he honest, the players and Gerrard collapsed last season and that could easily have been an issue this season.
The turnaround has been every bit as impressive as our collapse last season was shocking.

And it was shocking because we’d been almost as good up until then as we have been this season.

No one saw it coming and even now there’s something a little inexplicable about it, but start of March last year he looked like a one trick pony who’d more or less lost the dressing room so to be where we are now is nothing short of remarkable as far as transformations go.

I still have one or two niggling doubts about stamina and bottle, but they’re mercifully receding with each passing week.

I think we can dare to dream.
 
Last edited:
If you look at the last game of the season before he became manager ( 5-5 v hibs) it shows exactly where we were compared to where we are now. Only tav is still in the team. That day we had players like bates, holt, goss , Alnwick playing who are miles off the required standard.
Winning the league this year from that position would arguably be our clubs biggest achievement.
 
It comes with continuity and allowing a manager to build a squad. There were enough indications even in his first season that he knew what he was doing.

There were always going to be disappointments. But I think we're building the foundations for something special. The title will mean so much to the Club on various levels.
 
Gerrard's improved year on year and will likely do again next seson.

That's why he's been worth the wait and nobody (apart from the odd throbber) has suggested his time was up.

There is no question he has got the Rangers bug.

I want Klopp to retire at Liverpool when he's 85.
That is the issue 100%......as soon as Liverpool come calling, we’re f*cked. Gerrard will take his entire back room staff with him. Ross Wilson will need a ready made management team in his thoughts for when that day comes.

Until then, let’s enjoy Gerrard gaining legend status as he leads us back into the Champions League.
 
That is the issue 100%......as soon as Liverpool come calling, we’re f*cked. Gerrard will take his entire back room staff with him. Ross Wilson will need a ready made management team in his thoughts for when that day comes.

Until then, let’s enjoy Gerrard gaining legend status as he leads us back into the Champions League.
I've said this before but I'm not convinced Liverpool will automatically turn to Gerrard when Klopp goes. It's not certain at all. They may prefer one of those hip foreign managers someone like er... Klopp.
 
Covid might have saved the gaffers managerial career with us, we lost to hearts in the cup, Hamilton at Ibrox, we looked lost, the turnaround and hard work the management team must have put in during the enforced break was unreal and we're now benefiting from that.
Whose to say we wouldnt have turned it around anyway? Whose to say that with a bit of pressure had last season continued that the dhims would have crumbled as they have done this season. That is something we will never know.
 
That is the issue 100%......as soon as Liverpool come calling, we’re f*cked. Gerrard will take his entire back room staff with him. Ross Wilson will need a ready made management team in his thoughts for when that day comes.

Until then, let’s enjoy Gerrard gaining legend status as he leads us back into the Champions League.
When he leaves (3 more years I would say) it will be well planned by SG and the wider team. We are a different club and organisation now. It’s looking exciting.
 
I’ve backed him and believed in him since day one and still have to pinch myself when I see him in the dugout in charge of our great club.

Him, his staff and all the players deserve all the plaudits they will rightly receive when we get over the line for 55.

Dave King had great vision when he brought SG on board and his “ house of cards “ prediction has been proved correct.
 
It’s been one of the best thing that’s happened to us for years but imo Stevie has chosen his back room team very well who have all added to our success everything has just clicked this season but it’s been a team effort from top to bottom and it’s been outstanding to watch.
 
I remember the first pre-season he was here (queue the hovis music) and Beale was talking about what they were doing in training, in general terms. So they were working on one thing, then after that was drilled, they moved on to the next, like layering the information.

Look at the team now, they know the job inside out. Who goes where and when. The layering has almost completed, they probably work on polishing each situation now.

Then recruitment this year, we brought in a player like Roofe, forget how good he is for a minute, he is intelligent, he doesn't need a couple of season to know how to operate. He is also a winner and always trying to improve. BTW watch him at the goal celebrations (not just his), he is always looking into the pitch as if making sure all players celebrate.

Discipline, do you think you will see one of our players tackle like Main at the weekend? No chance.

Attitude has changed as well, it is a job that has 38 tasks. Get the task done, get the reward and then move on to the next one. All the chat from players and management is about the next game.

Someone above mentioned Gerrard celebrating less, its like he has taken a slight step back this season, maybe to help separate himself from the team a bit. Not to say he doesnt enjoy it btw.

If you have an athletic sub have a read at the latest article, Rangers tactics in focus, it gives a great insight to our play. It is far far more superior than anything else you will read from the media in Scotland.
 
Looking at his entire term at the club (not just the past year), there are five areas that stand-out for me:
  1. There has been a huge improvement in the quality of the first team's play, coming from when he first started, to the performances now.
  2. The calibre of player in the first team and in the squad has been vastly improved. (On that note, Gerrard, his backroom team, and the recruitment team he works with to aquire the right kind of players into the club have all done a terrific job so far, and have aquired talented players at the right prices.)
  3. The mindset and culture, which is set by Gerrard himself, plus his backroom team, is totally improved in my opinion. It is humble, and based around innate self-belief (and not unjustified boastfulness), plus hard-work.
  4. The quality of the day-to-day coaching is massively improved on what has come before.
  5. The all-round professionalism on the playing side is massively improved.

Needless to say, as a fan, this is so pleasing, especially given the number of difficult years the club has had to navigate through.

Long may it continue.
That's an excellent post, mate, and highlighting Gerrard's support team is important.

Just as a small example - when your watching a game and the camera swings over to the dugout there is always activity. The coaches are always talking to each other or talking to the gaffer. The players are focussing on the game or having one of the staff talking to them.

Plus, of course, there's always the possibility of Tom Culshaw lamping some lady's front bottom!

From the the bloke who does our Twitter account, through the coaching staff to the commercial department up to Douglas Park there is a huge sense of togetherness at Ibrox.
 
Let’s be honest if you asked people on here after the defeat to hearts in the Scottish cup last year most would have accepted his resignation. Thankfully the board had faith in him and we’ve benefited 100% this year.
 
The improvement in the squad and in Gerrard himself has been incredible.

There were valid questions to be asked of his tenure this time last year and, dare I say it, the league being called probably worked in his favour. The fans were mutinous after that defeat to Hamilton, and those two games against Hearts were a really, really tough watch.

There's an important lesson in there about the time it takes to settle and, for all that things are looking rosy now, we took a punt, with some rocky moments along the way, that's now ultimately paying off.
 
I remember the first pre-season he was here (queue the hovis music) and Beale was talking about what they were doing in training, in general terms. So they were working on one thing, then after that was drilled, they moved on to the next, like layering the information.

Look at the team now, they know the job inside out. Who goes where and when. The layering has almost completed, they probably work on polishing each situation now.
I think the stage they wanted to be at was to be able to 'perm any 11 from 22' and not see any diminution in quality.

Obviously we've been hit by some key injuries but when we were playing as sweetly as a Stradivarius in the autumn only Tav, Goldson and Borna were absolute first picks. This is a measure of how far we've come.
 
Tactics, signing the right players for these tactics, improving players, man management - he has made great progress in all these areas and shows no sign slowing down his progress. Very few young managers progress at that rate - this year is not a one-off. Hopefully we will manage to keep him for a good few years more.
 
Back
Top